The Fujikura 45S cladding alignment fusion splicer debuts a landmark improvement to the fusion splicing process with the ability to prepare and load both fibers simultaneously. The hand-held fiber coating stripper, the SS-05, is capable of stripping two 250 µm coated fibers in the same pass, along with the CT-16A cleaver adapter plate which can likewise accommodate two bare fibers for cleaving. After preparation, the 45S patented sheath clamps enable loading both fibers simultaneously into the splicer with one fiber in each hand. The user can press down on the sheath clamp base to close it while positioning the fiber in the v-grooves. This enables one-handed operation.
 
Furthermore, the 45S sheath clamps are mechanically linked to the wind protector, so after splicing is finished, opening the wind protector also opens both sheath clamps for quick sleeve positioning and transfer to the tube heater. The 45S tube heater shrinks sleeves much faster than its predecessor with a nominal ~20 second heat time for 60 mm sleeves, down from ~26 seconds. The simultaneous fiber preparation capability, automated sheath clamp opening, and a faster tube heater, combine to lower the overall fusion splicing cycle time by ~30% or more.
 
The 45S continues to benefit the user experience with improvements to fiber placement, battery access, and machine ergonomics. Previously, when using sheath clamps, if the cleaved fiber was accidentally set past the electrode centerline, the machine would send an error and require manual intervention. The 45S will now accept this mistake and reverse the fiber to correct position automatically. With a cube form factor, the 45S is easily transported and operated in space-constrained environments. The adjustable screen can alleviate glare from the sun and adjust with abnormal splicer positions confronted in challenging splice locations.